Laboratory Studies of a Sound System that Maintains Wakefulness

1998 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Landström ◽  
Kjell Englund ◽  
Bertil Nordström ◽  
Anita Åström
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
Sound System

Two studies investigated the effects of a waking sound that enhances wakefulness. Study I investigated the effect of the sound level and Study 2 the effect of time and frequency variability of the sound. The recordings of EEG and subjective ratings were analysed to study the effect upon wakefulness. The waking effect increased when sound varied in duration and frequency. A number of specific conditions necessary for the waking effect are described. The exposure should be based on high frequency sounds and several tones chosen to produce disharmony. The exposure should be loud enough to be heard over the masking background noise. The duration and tonal quality should be variable from one presentation to another.

Testing of Sonic-Absorbent Panels’ Behavior in Open-Air Environment

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petru A. Pop ◽  
Patricia A. Ungur ◽  
Liviu Lazar ◽  
Mircea Gordan ◽  
Florin M. Marcu
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Sound Level Meter ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Public Buildings ◽  
Gypsum Plaster ◽  
Level Meter ◽  
And Control

One wildly used method to reduce and control the noise pollution in green city’s buildings is using sonic-absorbent panels. Their applications can be multiple, such as the insulation of buildings, acoustic barriers and fences along the highway or in front of supermarkets, hospitals and other public buildings. This paper presents a method for testing the behavior of sonic-absorbent panels in open-air environment. The work represents a carrying on of previous research about absorbent materials from gypsum family, tested in lab conditions. The experiment setup used a dynamic installation and as a sample a stand formed by six sonic-absorbent panels from special modeling alpha-gypsum plaster. This installation has been composed of two loudspeakers for emitting the sound at a well-defined frequency by the first laptop, the microphone for detecting and transmitting the signal to the second laptop for analyzing and processing the data. All operations were performed using MATLAB Programs, while a Data Logger Sound Level Meter type CENTER 332 was put on near the microphone to compare both results. The first experiment of acoustic stand has been realized by setting up the installation at a frequency from 50 Hz to 1250 Hz and altering the distance between loudspeakers and stand at 0.5m to 1m and 1.5m, respectively. The second experiment kept the same test’s conditions, while two and three layers of sonic-absorbent panels formed the stand, respectively, but at same distance from source of 0.5 m. In both tests, the results underlined the good sonic-absorbent properties of these panels, especially at medium and high frequency, which can recommend using the panels for multiple outside applications.

scholarly journals Assessments and Control of Anthropogenic Noise Pollution in Students’ Residential Areas in Ogbomoso

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. O. Ajayeoba
Keyword(s):  
Medical History ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Circuit Breaker ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Anthropogenic Noise ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Sound System ◽  
And Control

Increased rate of noise-associated risk factors such as speech interference and reduction in productivity, necessitated that control and regulation measures be put in place, to contain anthropogenic noise pollution in the students’ hostels. Therefore, this study assessed the various anthropogenic sources of noise pollution in students’ hostels and developed a Sound Level Monitor and Control (SLMC) device. 1250 undergraduate students across 5 students’ residential zones were sampled for demographics and investigations were conducted into respondents’ perceived medical history, identification of noise sources, and evaluation of hearing loss. Effects of noise levels were evaluated using 100 respondents’ rooms per zone following standard procedures, considering Sound-System-Only (SSO), Generators-Only (GO), and combination of Sound-System-and-Generator (SSG), loud-conversations, etc., as sources of noise. However, a noise control device incorporated with a circuit breaker was developed. The respondents were 51.2% male and 48.8% female, with 58% in the age range 18 – 27 years. The medical history showed that 1.2 and 6.4% had a hearing problem in short and long times, respectively, while 43.6% affirmed that SSO was a major noise pollution causal factor. SSO, GO, loud conversations, traffic, and grinding machines were identified as the prominent sources of anthropogenic induced noise. The minimum average SL result gave a value of 62.8400dB for both ventilated and unventilated rooms, which is 14% above 55dB threshold value recommended by the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency. The developed SLMC device gave notification at the SL above 55dB for 15 seconds before disconnecting the sound system if not regulated.

scholarly journals Real-World Performance of a Reverse-Horn Vent

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (09) ◽  
pp. 653-661
Author(s):  
Francis Kuk ◽  
Denise Keenan ◽  
Chi-Chuen Lau ◽  
Nick Dinulescu ◽  
Richard Cortez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Hearing Aids ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽  
Speech In Noise ◽  
Objective Performance ◽  
Occlusion Effect

The present study compared differences in subjective and objective performance in completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids with conventional uniform 1.5 mm parallel vents and another with a reverse horn vent where the diameter increased from 1.5 mm on the lateral faceplate to 3 mm on the medial opening of the hearing aid. Nine hearing-impaired persons with a high-frequency hearing loss participated. The test battery included unaided in situ thresholds, amount of available gain before feedback, speech in quiet, speech in noise (HINT), subjective ratings of hollowness and tolerance, objective measures of the occlusion effect, and real-ear aided response. Results showed less available gain before feedback but less occlusion effect for subjective ratings and objective measures with the reverse horn vent. This type of vent design may be useful to increase the effective vent diameter of custom (including CIC) hearing aids.

scholarly journals Cochlear compound action potentials from high-level tone bursts originate from wide cochlear regions that are offset toward the most sensitive cochlear region

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 1018-1033 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lee ◽  
J. J. Guinan ◽  
M. A. Rutherford ◽  
W. A. Kaf ◽  
K. M. Kennedy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Tuning Curve ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Frequency Tone ◽  
Compound Action Potentials ◽  
High Level ◽  
Level Tone ◽  
Compound Action

Little is known about the spatial origins of auditory nerve (AN) compound action potentials (CAPs) evoked by moderate to intense sounds. We studied the spatial origins of AN CAPs evoked by 2- to 16-kHz tone bursts at several sound levels by slowly injecting kainic acid solution into the cochlear apex of anesthetized guinea pigs. As the solution flowed from apex to base, it sequentially reduced CAP responses from low- to high-frequency cochlear regions. The times at which CAPs were reduced, combined with the cochlear location traversed by the solution at that time, showed the cochlear origin of the removed CAP component. For low-level tone bursts, the CAP origin along the cochlea was centered at the characteristic frequency (CF). As sound level increased, the CAP center shifted basally for low-frequency tone bursts but apically for high-frequency tone bursts. The apical shift was surprising because it is opposite the shift expected from AN tuning curve and basilar membrane motion asymmetries. For almost all high-level tone bursts, CAP spatial origins extended over 2 octaves along the cochlea. Surprisingly, CAPs evoked by high-level low-frequency (including 2 kHz) tone bursts showed little CAP contribution from CF regions ≤ 2 kHz. Our results can be mostly explained by spectral splatter from the tone-burst rise times, excitation in AN tuning-curve “tails,” and asynchronous AN responses to high-level energy ≤ 2 kHz. This is the first time CAP origins have been identified by a spatially specific technique. Our results show the need for revising the interpretation of the cochlear origins of high-level CAPs-ABR wave 1. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Cochlear compound action potentials (CAPs) and auditory brain stem responses (ABRs) are routinely used in laboratories and clinics. They are typically interpreted as arising from the cochlear region tuned to the stimulus frequency. However, as sound level is increased, the cochlear origins of CAPs from tone bursts of all frequencies become very wide and their centers shift toward the most sensitive cochlear region. The standard interpretation of CAPs and ABRs from moderate to intense stimuli needs revision.

Modeling Speech Level as a Function of Background Noise Level and Talker-to-Listener Distance for Talkers Wearing Hearing Protection Devices

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 3393-3403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E. Bouserhal ◽  
Annelies Bockstael ◽  
Ewen MacDonald ◽  
Tiago H. Falk ◽  
Jérémie Voix
Keyword(s):  
Noise Level ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Sound Level ◽  
Hearing Protection ◽  
Background Noise Level ◽  
Vocal Effort ◽  
Protection Devices ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Studying the variations in speech levels with changing background noise level and talker-to-listener distance for talkers wearing hearing protection devices (HPDs) can aid in understanding communication in background noise. Method Speech was recorded using an intra-aural HPD from 12 different talkers at 5 different distances in 3 different noise conditions and 2 quiet conditions. Results This article proposes models that can predict the difference in speech level as a function of background noise level and talker-to-listener distance for occluded talkers. The proposed model complements the existing model presented by Pelegrín-García, Smits, Brunskog, and Jeong (2011) and expands on it by taking into account the effects of occlusion and background noise level on changes in speech sound level. Conclusions Three models of the relationship between vocal effort, background noise level, and talker-to-listener distance for talkers wearing HPDs are presented. The model with the best prediction intervals is a talker-dependent model that requires the users' unoccluded speech level at 10 m as a reference. A model describing the relationship between speech level, talker-to-listener distance, and background noise level for occluded talkers could eventually be incorporated with radio protocols to transmit verbal communication only to an intended set of listeners within a given spatial range—this range being dependent on the changes in speech level and background noise level.

scholarly journals Sound level measurements in background noise

1991 ◽  
Vol 89 (4B) ◽  
pp. 1948-1948
Author(s):  
Michael A. Staiano
Keyword(s):  
Background Noise ◽  
Sound Level

Reading Comprehension in Quiet and in Noise: Effects on Immediate and Delayed Recall in Relation to Tinnitus and High-Frequency Hearing Thresholds

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (06) ◽  
pp. 503-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Jonas Brännström ◽  
Sebastian Waechter
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Matched Control ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Delayed Recall ◽  
Hearing Status ◽  
Hearing Thresholds ◽  
The Impact

AbstractA common complaint by people with tinnitus is that they experience that the tinnitus causes attention and concentration problems. Previous studies have examined how tinnitus influences cognitive performance on short and intensive cognitive tasks but without proper control of hearing status.To examine the impact tinnitus and high-frequency hearing thresholds have on reading comprehension in quiet and in background noise.A between-group design with matched control participants.One group of participants with tinnitus (n = 20) and an age and gender matched control group without tinnitus (n = 20) participated. Both groups had normal hearing thresholds (20 dB HL at frequencies 0.125 to 8 kHz).Measurements were made assessing hearing thresholds and immediate and delayed recall using a reading comprehension test in quiet and in noise. All participants completed the Swedish version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and participants with tinnitus also completed the Tinnitus Questionnaire.The groups did not differ in immediate nor delayed recall. Accounting for the effect of age, a significant positive correlation was found between best ear high-frequency pure tone average (HF-PTA; 10000, 12500, and 14000 Hz) and the difference score between immediate and delayed recall in noise.Tinnitus seems to have no effect on immediate and delayed recall in quiet or in background noise when hearing status is controlled for. The detrimental effect of background noise on the processes utilized for efficient encoding into long-term memory is larger in participants with better HF-PTA. More specifically, when reading in noise, participants with better HF-PTA seem to recall less information than participants with poorer HF-PTA.

scholarly journals Vent Configurations on Subjective and Objective Occlusion Effect

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (09) ◽  
pp. 747-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Kuk ◽  
Denise Keenan ◽  
Chi-Chuen Lau
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Aids ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Response Variability ◽  
Subjective Rating ◽  
Systematic Change ◽  
Subjective Ratings ◽  
High Frequency Hearing Loss ◽  
Custom Made ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Occlusion Effect

The current study reexamined the effect of vent diameters on objective and subjective occlusion effect (OE) while minimizing two possible sources of variability. Nine hearing-impaired participants with primarily a high-frequency hearing loss were evaluated. Laser shell-making technology was used to make ear inserts of completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids for the study. This was to minimize any potential slit leakage from the inserts. The vent dimensions were systematically altered during the study. Participants sustained /i/ for 5 sec, and the real-ear occluded response was measured with a custom-made program that performed frequency averaging to reduce response variability. Participants also repeated the phrase "Baby Jeannie is teeny tiny" and rated their own voice. The results showed a systematic change in the objective OE and subjective ratings of OE as the vent diameter was modified. Furthermore, a significant correlation was seen between subjective rating and objective occlusion effect.

scholarly journals Sources of interference in item and associative recognition memory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam F Osth ◽  
Simon Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Recognition Memory ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Background Noise ◽  
Associative Recognition ◽  
Small Contribution ◽  
Memory Strength ◽  
Interference Contribution ◽  
List Strength ◽  
Stimulus Classes ◽  
Context Cues

A powerful theoretical framework for exploring recognition memory is the global matchingframework, in which a cue’s memory strength reflects the similarity of the retrieval cuesbeing matched against the contents of memory simultaneously. Contributions at retrievalcan be categorized as matches and mismatches to the item and context cues, including theself match (match on item and context), item noise (match on context, mismatch on item),context noise (match on item, mismatch on context), and background noise (mismatch onitem and context). We present a model that directly parameterizes the matches andmismatches to the item and context cues, which enables estimation of the magnitude ofeach interference contribution (item noise, context noise, and background noise). Themodel was fit within a hierarchical Bayesian framework to ten recognition memory datasetsthat employ manipulations of strength, list length, list strength, word frequency, study-testdelay, and stimulus class in item and associative recognition. Estimates of the modelparameters revealed at most a small contribution of item noise that varies by stimulusclass, with virtually no item noise for single words and scenes. Despite the unpopularity ofbackground noise in recognition memory models, background noise estimates dominated atretrieval across nearly all stimulus classes with the exception of high frequency words,which exhibited equivalent levels of context noise and background noise. These parameterestimates suggest that the majority of interference in recognition memory stems fromexperiences acquired prior to the learning episode.

scholarly journals THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF PHONOSTYLISTIC MEANS OF THE RUSSIAN AND UZBEK LANGUAGES

2020 ◽  
pp. 52-59
Author(s):  
Kunduz SAPAROVA
Keyword(s):  
Sound Level ◽  
Sound System ◽  
Single Level ◽  
Methods Of Analysis ◽  
Linguistic Unit ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Linguistic Units

This article is devoted to the study of similar and peculiar features of phonostylistic means of the Russian and Uzbek languages. In particular, it places a special emphasis on the stylistic properties of the phonetic system of the languages in comparison. The phonostylistic system of one or another language is a combination of stylistic properties of sound (phonetic) units of a language. Sound (phonetic) language units serve as stylistic markers of pronunciation styles, or phonetic styles. The stylistic properties of the sound systems of two or more languages involve the identification of interlanguage corresponding means of expressing the stylistic coloring of a linguistic unit at a sound level. The uniqueness of segment and super-segment phonostylistic units in different-system languages is the key factor of differences in the phonostylistic units of the sound system of the compared languages. An inventory of phonetic means of expressing the stylistic coloring of linguistic units is manifested when pronouncing variants of words, phrases and expressions. Interlanguage phonostylistic correspondence is single-level, and its identification is possible if there is developed material for the structure of phonostylistic systems of each individual language being compared. Key tasks of phonostylistics are determined by identifying both stylistically unmarked and stylistically marked units of the expression plan at the phonostylistic level of languages and establishing correspondences between them; identifying the causes of the isomorphism and allomorphism of the stylistic resources of their sound system. According to the methodology of the research, it is based on using the basic methods of analysis and general principles of comparison for analysis of phonostylistic units in compared languages.

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